Mid West Business Journal: May 2017

Saturday, May 27, 2017

SUNJACK LIGHTSTICK

When I was a kid, I played Dungeons and Dragons. My favorite character was a cleric named Becket. Original, I know. One of the spells I found most useful was Continual Light. This created a very strong light source wherever the spell was cast. I figured out a way to overcome the inherent limitations of carrying torches into dungeons and fighting at the same time: I would cast Continual Light on wooden dowels which all party members wore in their belts. It saw us through many adventures and Becket was retired when I stopped playing D&D back about 25 years ago.

The folks at SunJack must have heard about my light stick trick because here is a real-life LightStick! And it will fit in your belt, provide enough light to illuminate a room for a long, long time…and it will even recharge your cell phone! I have reviewed quite a few gadgets over the years and this one stands out as one of my favorites, even though it is so mundane. It simply does what it purports to do and does it fantastically well! Packaged in a simple cardboard box, it contains the LightJack, two wrist straps, a USB Micro cable and instructions.

There are places on either side of the LightJack to attach the wrist straps, allowing it to be hung from pretty much anywhere. The edges are many-sided, which allows it to sit flat on most any surface. The front face is a tough plastic and the access port to the USB ports is sealed with a cap that has a rubber gasket. It’s rated to 6 feet of water resistance and I did not test this. It is a durable, tough piece of kit.

Removing the sealed cap reveals a full-sized USB port for you to plug your cell phone into to recharge, so it acts as a backup battery in case of an emergency. Above it is the USB micro port that is used to charge the built-in 5200mAh lithium-polymer battery. It charges quickly.

The SUNJACK LIGHTSTICK has three levels of brightness, plus a flashing light mode. The brightest setting is rated at 350 lumens but the lowest setting provided plenty of light to get work done by. The method of lighting is a row of white LEDs. Four blue LEDs provide feedback as to how much charge remains on the LightStick.

This is the dimmest setting. I actually had to dim the image a little because my exposure was too bright to make out the LED array. To test it, I turned it on at 3:15 PM on February 24th and carried it with me (though not in my belt) for as long as it lasted. I checked the battery periodically. After 15 hours, there were 3 dots left. After another 10 hours there were two dots. Still two dots when I checked it 14 hours later. It finally went into Power-Saving mode on February 26th at 8:45 AM, a solid 41 hours after I turned it on for the first time. It is advertised to last at least 40 hours at minimum brightness and all I can say is that I wish laptop and tablet makers were as honest about their battery life ratings! The Lightstick turns off when it hits one dot and the dot blinks as the light goes into power-saving mode. The light stays on for 5 minutes in power-saving mode before switching it off again. I turned it on over and over again a few times before I had to get back to life as I live it.

The second-brightest setting lasted from 6:56 AM on February 28th and it went into power saving mode at 5:06 PM the same day. 10 hours on the medium setting. In power saving mode, it switches off after two minutes.

The brightest setting lasted from 6:42 AM on March 1st and died at 12:07 PM the same day. A little more than five hours at the brightest setting. Power save switched off after 10 seconds on this setting.

In flashing mode, it flashes bright on and on and on. I turned it on at 5:00 AM on March 2nd and turned it off at 9:40 PM so I could get some sleep. There were still two dots left on the battery at this time.

The final test I put this through was to charge my iPhone 6 Plus until it wouldn’t charge anymore and then see how long the light lasted at the dimmest setting. It took about 2 hours to charge it from 22% to 95% and it would not charge any more than that. There was one dot left but it wasn’t blinking. I figured it was done for. I figured wrong. On the lowest setting, the light lasted another 13 hours before finally going out.

This is being marketed as a camping/emergency preparedness gadget. I can tell you my mind is set more at ease knowing I have this thing. We lost power more often than I’d like and now I know I have my own personal Continual Light spell that will get me through it. I don’t camp but I remember my camping days well and we would have been thrilled to have something like this to light our nights. This belongs in every emergency kit and in every camping kit. Forty hours of light is pretty amazing but you’ll probably take a hit in colder weather.

8 Business Etiquette Tips Everyone Should Follow

Turn off your gadgets in meetings - My company’s CEO starts every meeting by reminding us to turn our phones face down, close our laptops, and focus only on the meeting. Having the discipline to step away from distractions is refreshing. Of course, this really only works if everyone adheres to it. It’s difficult to make that happen, but when everyone is unplugged and focused, meetings are much more productive.
Arrive on time for meetings — face to face or virtual - If you’re the meeting host, on time means at least five minutes early. If you’re the guest, on time means on time. It’s crazy how often people on both sides of the invitation are late and say nothing about it. If you get held up and know you’re going to be delayed, a quick email can keep the person on the other end from feeling stood up
No nail trimming at work - This wouldn’t be on the list if I hadn’t witnessed it too many times to count. This also goes for toes. I’ve seen that, too, and hardly survived it. Just because most of us work in open work environments doesn’t mean it’s a green light to do things better done in the privacy of your own home/bathroom. When should trimming nails at work happen? It should happen never. While it should be obvious, this also goes for large group meetings as well. Now, I’m not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. Once, one of my nail-trimming coworkers busted me doing my eyebrows at my desk, and she never let me live it down. I deserved it! The same rule applies for flossing at your desk.
When it comes to business meals, bring your manners - I once invited a client to lunch, and the first red flag went up when she brought a coworker that I didn’t invite. The client talked about herself the entire time while the coworker sat in obvious misery. When the client’s plate arrived first, she hovered over her plate and dove in with such intensity I figured she was finishing up a month-long juice fast. Mouth packed with food, she kept on talking while her colleague and I lost our appetites. Several months later, the client asked for a referral. I’ll let you guess if she got it.
Express gratitude. -Thank you notes go a long way. If possible, a handwritten note is best. Check out the custom engraved stationery from Dempsey & Carroll, where they remind you that “the first job starts with a thank you.” Fine stationery is an investment, though. Target has some lovely, affordable boxed sets. If you take the time to follow up, it will get noticed. It will also get noticed if it’s poorly executed. I once saw a note from a candidate that was written on something that looked like a kid’s birthday party invitation. Also, if you prefer a paperless option, make sure your message is concise, thoughtful, and free of misspelled words.
Whether it’s a company-wide function or a team dinner, ask before inviting your significant other. Ask the host/coordinator of the event. Are spouses in or are they out? This is really an all-or-nothing thing. If it’s not been offered to everyone, it’s inconsiderate to assume that the company wants to pay for your spouse. Secondly, if you bring your significant other and nobody else does, talking shop feels awkward to everyone (your guest included), and that’s what business dinners are often about. As a general policy, if spouses/significant others are openly invited, absolutely go for it. If it’s not a group-wide invitation, fly solo.
Don’t say anything in email or instant messaging that you don’t mind being broadcast to your entire organization. Once, I sent a gossipy email intended for a coworker directly to the person I was gossiping about. Ouch. Worse, my email got forwarded around while I wanted to crawl under my desk and die. Watch what you’re saying on instant messaging systems, too. Likely, there are chat logs of what you’re chatting about that are archived somewhere, so if you’re talking about your lady parts or who didn’t wash their hands after going to the bathroom, somebody in IT is probably reading it. No wonder those IT guys say so little and then go to lunch in huge groups — they have a lot of dirt on the rest of us.
Don’t dominate the “Questions” segment in meetings. How many questions should you ask? Frankly, I think one question per big meeting is usually enough; three is the maximum. For smaller meetings, just consider how much air time is available, and try not to dominate. Also, consider if the question has the word “I” in it. Who will benefit from the answer? If it’s just about you, save it and track down the right person after the meeting. There are all kinds of ways to be heard — if you just need to hear the sound of your own voice, start talking to yourself at home while you’re trimming your nails.